I'm gearing up for the elections in a lot of small and big ways, including continuing to work with the Women's Campaign Forum (if you are coming to the Hail to the Chiefs Event, please let me know!) and maybe going to the Democratic Convention (if I can find housing).

The campaigns are also heating up, and we're going to be hearing a lot more about abortion and birth control over the next few weeks, in addition to housing prices, gas prices, taxes and health care.

The Dems released their platform this weekend, which is firmly pro-choice.

The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a woman's right to choose a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay, and we oppose any and all efforts to weaken or undermine that right.

The Democratic Party also strongly supports access to affordable family planning services and comprehensive age-appropriate sex education which empowers people to make informed choices and live healthy lives. We also recognize that such health care and education help reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and thereby also reduce the need for abortions.

The Democratic Party also strongly supports a woman's decision to have a child by ensuring access to and availability of programs for pre- and post-natal health care, parenting skills, income support, and caring adoption programs.

There is a very interesting article in the New Republic about the inclusion of a choice statement in the Democratic party's platform this year.

The anti-choice Democrats want to focus more on reducing the need for abortion, which, really, I just cannot fathom how anyone could possibly talk more about reducing the need for abortions in our mealy mouthed milquetoast compromise of a political platform we think we have. If reducing the need for abortion is in the middle, with no abortions being on the right and the far left being abortion discount coupons given out at halloween, just how much further right do we move before we're not even worried about access to abortion anymore? How much past the middle are we going to "compromise"?

Okay, rant over. Maybe.

The amazing leadership of the Democrats who have been the protectors of choice during their six years in Congress keeps us safe and helps me sleep at night.

So anyway, the Presidential election, on whom four Supreme Court appointments hang, is between Barack Obama, who is said to be clearly pro-choice, but, maybe not, like, 100%, versus John McCain, who is definitely clearly anti-choice. According to the latter article, McCain has voted anti choice in 125 of 130 votes on the issue, supports the Global Gag Rule, and consistently gets 0% voting records from folks like NARAL. Plus, he has voted against requiring coverage of birth control, and all sorts of other things, then says "I don't know that much about it" when called on the carpet for his votes.

Which, means, like most voters with particular issues, there's no one candidate who's a good match for my opinions. I am left with no strong feeling that Congress, regardless of it's official pro-choice stance, is going to do much good for protecting my ability to make decisions about the private personal things that go on inside my body, regardless of any rhetoric to the contrary.

Last week, Donna Edwards was sworn into Congress as the 91st woman serving this session.

At the same time, we found out that the House dropped a provision in a bill that would return the option of providing low cost or free birth control to pharmaceutical companies. I think we've gone over this, but here's how it goes

the 2005 Deficit Reduction Act provided that the government get the lowest cost of drugs, including nominal pricing

pharmaceutical companies that manufactured birth control used to give places like university health centers and Planned Parenthood birth control at nominal prices (free or really inexpensive)

these providers could then pass on the savings - college birth control prices are often free or a fraction of market price (using the term "market" very loosely as it applies to anything health-related)

Eli Crowley (NY) and Barack Obama (IL) introduced a fix, which was then put in the War Supplemental bill moving through the House and Senate

May 23, the provision was stripped, and many said that the President wouldn't sign the bill with the provision in tact

So what does Donna Edwards have to do with all this? The United States is around 68th in international ranking for the proportion of women in office. Women's issues, even if the Democrats purport to support them, just aren't a priority. I don't know if it was Jill or Linda Hirschman who said it, but the Dems don't really support women's issues, since, well, where else are we to go?

This War Supplemental is a great example. Are you kidding me that President Bush would veto the war funding bill with this small no-cost provision in it? And then the Democrats back down? Did they know that they're in charge? If the Dems are in charge, and the Dems won't include this provision in a large bill that absolutely must go forward to fund the war effort, including the safety of the troops, why ever would the Dems back down on this? Is President Bush really going to refuse to fund his own war, and pull the troops out? Seems like a really good place to be, if you're a Democrat drafting this bill.

If we want Congress to pay attention to our needs, we need to be in Congress; if we want the Board of Education to accurately represent our educational needs, including comprehensive sex ed, we need to be on the Board of Education; if we want the state to take action on abortion an health insurance laws, we need to be in state elected positions.

I took a few weeks off. Months, maybe. It's been busy over here, what with the election, abortion fundraisers, and, you know, my day job. So anyway, I'm back.

Yesterday I was out with a friend for lunch - both of us have spent time at NARAL, and we are both so pissed about the NARAL endorsement of Barack Obama. Not because he's particularly BAD on choice, but because it was a shitty thing to do to Hilary Clinton, who has been great on choice. As faithful readers know, I have seen them both speak on choice at a Planned Parenthood event, and she seemed to know everything there is to know. Also, if I was at NARAL, I would have wanted some sort of value for my endorsement. Like a mutual admiration society. I may have missed it, but I haven't heard Mr. Obama talk about how much he admires NARAL, and how he's going to use NARAL as a resource in the future.

Sorry it's been so long folks. It's been kind of hectic here, and without internet access at home, and work being busy, well, unfortunately, the blogging kind of falls by the wayside. But, OMG, there is so much going on. I'm sure you know most of it, but let's go over it in any case.

Pop Culture:4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days - an award winning film - was reviewed by the NYT recently. It was a critic's choice film. And, you know, it won the Palm D'Or a while ago. There's still a lot of discussion about Knocked Up/Juno where unplanned pregnancy seems to be something that, well, all works out in the end. Laura Sessions Stepp, who I know many of you don't really like (article topics include hook-up culture and gray rape) wrote an article in the Post pointing out the dangers of being a teen mom.

Maria and I talk about this all the time, because I'm not so keen on the idea of teenagers having kids, and she thinks we need a more supportive community for helping pregnant teens. I don't think it's a great idea, in part because teen pregnancy is the number one indicator of future poverty. This, of course, gets us into teen sex, about which the NYT published an article in January. The article focuses on the emotional impact of sex on teen girls, as well as pregnancy. Good read. Oh, and I'm not getting into this right now, but there was a big to-do over these Denver girls who want maternity leave from high school.

Love:So there was that big TIME Magazine section on love, and it was Valentine's Day yesterday (I got my sweetie these) and so love is in the air. Researchers have shown that people in love don't really check out other potential mates, but they do check out potential rivals. Sadly, sometimes love doesn't work out. When the engagement gets called off there is a developing field of law in who gets what damages, as well as some etiquette on who gets the ring.

Birth Control:There is a new label on the birth control patch. Women who use Ortho-Evra, the patch, are at increased risk of blood clots. The risk is still pretty small, but it's much higher than for women using the pill. Talk to your doctor.

Barr, a maker of generic birth control pills, has filed a patent infringement suit against other pharmaceutical companies over oral contraceptives.

Ireland lowered the condom tax. A 12-pack of condoms costs about E13; they cost about $12 here in the States. I get the impression from the BBC article, by the way, that in some places condoms are free under the country's medical plan.

Washington State has tabled a bill that would require pharmacists to dispense Plan B, or the Morning After Pill. Issues related to conscience clauses loom large in this debate, and it appears that the legislature is going to pitch this over to the court system first. South Dakota, on the other hand, is trying to make sure that pharmacy refusal clauses don't allow pharmacists to refuse to dispense birth control pills.

Sexually Transmitted Infections (Including HPV):There's a journal article on expedited partner therapy, which is when the partner of someone who's positive for an STD gets a prescription/treatment for the STD without clinical assessment (e.g. your boyfriend gets treated for chlamydia if you test positive, without testing him.) I can't access the article, but the intro says that the CDC recommends EPT, which may raise some legal concerns. I would love to see a copy of the article if anyone has it.

New Pap test - the SoftPAP - approved by the FDA. This test apparently decreases the number of false negatives given by using the traditional (or ThinPrep?) Pap test. Currently it is recommended that women get a Pap test and an HPV test.

A new study shows that 1/3 of women with one sexual partner contract HPV in a year. So I'm just remembering these numbers offhand, but I recall that over 26 million American women have HPV, and only 10,000 cases of cervical cancer are reported per year. Further, only 3,000 women die of cervical cancer. So this mechanism of HPV infection --> cancer is not at all a one-to-one ratio. Anyway, I guess my point is that HPV is really common, and cervical cancer isn't. And while this isn't news to readers, who well know that HPV causes more than just cervical cancer, somehow it's news again that HPV causes oral cancers.

STDs common in Australian Aborigines. The article kind of reminds me of "The Tipping Point" chapter on STDs in as it states that when a population has >10% infection rate it's worth treating everyone with antibiotics to fight infections.

It's a new year, and a new legislative session, not to mention that a whole bunch of laws go into effect this week.

As for me, I'm getting over a cold which had me on the couch watching the History Channel's marathon The History of Sex, which has a few errors in it, but was overall an enjoyable quick tour through the ages. My New Year's resolution is to cut out dairy, and start eating more organic food.

So anyway, what do you need to know for this upcoming year? First, vote (make sure you are registered to vote in your state). Today are the Iowa Caucuses, then the New Hampshire primaries, and February 5th is Super Tuesday. Do I really have to tell you what's at stake (like, Roe)?

So let's talk about local laws:

Virginia will hear about increased penalties for domestic violence offenders and repealing the requirement that women take lie detector tests when they report a rape.

We'll see more about jurisprudence for civilians serving overseas, as more stories like this one come to light. Congressman Poe's office tells me that the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act is the law on the books that would cover this, but many others have said the law is too narrowly crafted to create any kind of legal punishment.

The Times reviews a book on a fertility diet, and not very favorably. I guess people are more interested in fertility, as it seems birth rates are on the rise in the US. The article says that more affluent people are having more children, and calls children a luxury good. I'd be curious to see more about the rates related to income, and if the US has a higher rate of fertility than many other industrialized nations because of our immigration policies.

Schizophrenia may start in utero, and may be linked to maternal diseases like the flu.

ForeignTeen will have access to birth control over the counter in Britain. Meanwhile, South Africa is taking the opposite tactic, and outlawing teens kissing in public. (The actual law, all 80 pages of it, is here as a .pdf. I didn't read it, so I don't know the exact language used.)

You all, I'm sure, have been following the rape case in Saudi Arabia. Slate asks why there isn't more of an uproar over how Saudi (and many other countries) treat women, generally. The article references the huge boycotts of South Africa regarding its policy of apartheid.

Sorry all, but today I won't be able to muster up the usual vitriol I would have; I've had a death in my family. Nothing unexpected, but sad nonetheless.

So today Slate writes that abortion rates fall when birth control is available, based on a study by AGI. It seems fairly obvious to me that access to contraception would decrease the need for abortion. We know that abortion is a universal need, and that the legality of the procedure does not necessarily inhibit its performance; rather, the availability of legal abortions has an effect on the safety of abortion.

Complications from pregnancy, labor and delivery, are common in developing countries.

And of course, we can circle back around to our domestic policies that restrict access to abortion. Tom Tancredo, Presidential candidate, has announced that he would cut off federal funding to organizations that perform abortions, if elected. I won't get into the rest of it now...

Obesity --> truancy --> teen pregnancy. I would think that obesity may also be related to teen pregnancies for other reasons. One, girls who are fatter develop earlier, as estrogen is fat-soluble. They are then physically more mature without having the accompanying mental maturity. Two, social issues regarding being fat and being liked. Third, behavioral issues that may have induced poor eating habits (bad decision making) or lack of impulse control I could easily see also leading to bad decision making or lack of impulse control when it comes to sex. But I'm just speculating here. Anyone know?

So I'm moderately obsessed with this issue, and I'm really glad that a study shows that women with lupus have higher rates of cervical cancer (that's kind of what it says). I mean, it makes total sense that women with autoimmune diseases couldn't fight off HPV as well as others, and that they would have higher rates of abnormal paps and cervical cancer. Right, and I've been talking about this for a few years, and saying that women with autoimmune diseases may need different screening for cervical cancer than the average woman, and maybe they should just be tested for HPV and if the test is positive then do a pap more often and I don't know exactly what my treatment protocol suggestion is, but I'm psyched regardless.

Feministe appears to be down right now, but there was this great catch they made about the mainstream press not correcting some anti's assertion that birth control doesn't work, among other falsehoods.

The New York Times asks: Is there anything good about men? Mostly, it goes on to say that men take risks to be chosen for reproduction, and that women don't because they need to stay home to take care of the babies and they're pretty much assured reproduction (and survival of their genetics).

Sanitary pad lawsuit. This goes back to something from the other day about skipping periods, etc, and I dug around a bit and there's apparently not a whole lot of data on historical sales of menstrual products, and even if there were I bet a lot of stuff that was used was not sold and wouldn't be captured in that data, and that as these products became more of a market item the use of the Pill was burgeoning, and women were having more menstrual cycles b/c they weren't having children as often, so I don't think there's any data on periods that I want.

Kos has an article on the lack of access to quality abortion care. I think the article is a nice introduction to what most of you already know - I appreciate the post, but I would have liked a little more in-depth analysis or some concrete suggestions. Kos also has a longer article on the history and politicization of abortion in the U.S. Ms. Magazine is doing an appeal to fund investigations into deaths from illegal abortions in Kenya. Creepy news about the anti-choicers in Kansas & the Operation Rescue gang. Portugal abortion law takes effect.

Tuesday, July 17, was the Planned Parenthood Public Affairs Retreat and Roundtable.I was not privy to most of the roundtable, but I did have a press pass to see Mrs. Edwards, Mr. Obamaand Mrs. Clintonspeak about choice.Let me tell you, we have a commitment from these three candidates, as well as others, regarding choice.I’m glad to see that these highly sought after candidates were there, and I was excited by what they said.I’m also incredibly impressed by Planned Parenthood for getting these big names, and throwing a great event.

Cecile Richardsopened the session, after a prayer, pledging that Planned Parenthood was on the offense, and is aiming to have one million new voters at the 2008 Presidential elections.She reviewed the political milestones and achievements from the 2006 elections, which, frankly, I don’t see having had too much change on the choice agenda.But maybe I’m just bitter about SCOTUS.

[I also want to note that there were few bloggers there – on the list I saw Blogher and RHRealityCheck, but no DailyKos, no MyDD, no RedState – so…since this is a women’s issue none of the big bloggers want to show up?So, to the bloggers: why weren’t you at the Planned Parenthood event?The New York Times was there.CNN covered it.Some of the feminist bloggers were there.Where were you?Are women’s issues not a priority? Or did I just miss you on the list of five blogs represented?]

All three speakers framed choice broadly, but I think Mr. Obama had the widest view of choice.I’ll get to that later.

Mrs. Edwards gets my vote for strongest commitment to choice.She was there speaking on behalf of her husband, who she says has always been and will always be a supporter of choice.Mrs. Edwards, like the others, highlighted the fact that women with limited means have unmet needs, including contraception, primary healthcare, and preventative care.She underscored her husband’s commitment to the poor, saying that both Planned Parenthood and he are concerned with the same group of people.She said that under Mr. Edwards’ health plan, Planned Parenthood would be a covered provider of services.

Mrs. Clinton gets my vote for most improved.She didn’t once call abortion tragic.She said that for many, Planned Parenthood is the only place for healthcare, and that Planned Parenthood provides services beyond family planning, including prenatal care and cancer screening.Mrs. Clinton took a worldview, mentioning her time in Beijing at the women’s conferenceand citing forced parenthood in Romaniaand China’s one child policy.She said that in both cases the government was dictating the private decision a woman can make.

Mrs. Clinton continued in her global vein, decrying the global gag ruleand likening that policy to domestic policies including President Bush’s appointment of two anti-choice Justices, the failure of the DoJ rape protocol to include emergency contraceptionand the former Surgeon General’s testimony that he had been censored by the administration.

Mrs. Clinton said, “When I am President, I will devote my very first days to reversing anti-choice, anti-science policies this administration has put into place…starting with the Global Gag Rule.”Really, you can’t beat that.She continued by saying that she will restore fundamental constitutional freedoms, which, I assume, include abortion rights.

Mr. Obama really highlighted the role of men, which I think is interesting.We don’t always include men in our movement, but they are a central part of it.There were numerous young men who attended the Roundtable, as they work as peer educators in Planned Parenthood clinics.Anyway, I liked that.Mr. Obama was also excited by the appearance of young people who are getting involved in politics.Regardless, he focused much of his speech on “our daughters” of which he has two.It’s a great message to the parents of America, but I don’t imagine it resonating with the young single women who, like myself, aren’t quite daughters, and certainly aren’t mothers.He did, however, frame the issue as one of equal rights under the law, and talked about his role as a law professor.

Mrs. Edwards said that Mr. Edwards would never equivocate on a woman’s right to choose, which was a heartening message.She later stated that her husband would not compromise on choice, because “our lives are not fodder for compromise.”That’s right!

So the broader theme was that of respect and equality for women.Mrs. Edwards said that the fight for choice is about women’s equality and dignity, and that questioning a woman’s reproductive decision making is demeaning.Mrs. Edwards said that we need to trust women to make their own choices, and that the government should not be involved.

Federal Abortion Ban

Mrs. Edwards opposes an abortion ban that has no health exception.She said that Mr. Edwards did not vote for federal abortion ban (he didn’t vote at all, though), the Santorum bill and votedto insert language that would have inserted a health exception (the Durbin amendment).

Mrs. Clinton, who was in office then, voted against the bill, and Mr. Obama was not yet a Senator.I gotta say, I’m not happy that Mr. Edwards didn’t vote against the bill.What kind of not equivocating is that?Mrs. Clinton highlighted the role of precedence in our judicial system, saying that the right to choice is fundamental.

Mr. Obama decried the decision, which is under “Supreme Court.”

Health Plans

Mr. Edward’s health care plan includes reproductive health services including “pregnancy termination.”Mrs. Edwards noted that for many women, their annual well-woman check up is their point of entry into the healthcare system.She said that all health insurance plans should cover prescriptions, including birth control and emergency contraception [note: emergency contraception does not require a prescription, so is not covered by prescription drug plans as part of health insurance].

Mrs. Clinton said that there are policies, like the lack of increase in Title X funding and the Medicaid documentation rules that make providing reproductive health services more difficult, and that she will focus, like Mr. Edwards, on low-income women who do not have access to healthcare.Mrs. Clinton supports contraceptive equity, pointing out that women pay more than men for health insurance during their reproductive years.

Abstinence Only Education

All candidates were asked specifically about ab-only education, and they all were against it.Mrs. Clinton called it “ignorance-only” education.Mrs. Edwards cited evidence that teen birth rates have dropped since 1991, and that information and access to condoms results in more deliberation and abstention from sex.Mrs. Edwards says that she wants comprehensive, honest sex ed.

Mr. Obama said that people need to make good choices before pregnancy, which includes a moral component to prevention.He highlighted the National Black Churches Initiativewhich works within the African American community on teen sexuality.Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton have co-sponsored the Prevention First Act.

Mrs. Clinton said that the way to reduce abortion rates is to reduce the rates of unwanted pregnancy, which is why she founded the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy when she was First Lady.The focus there is on prevention, which is why she is a co-sponsor of the Prevention First Act.She pointed out that conservatives who say they are anti-abortion are also waging a war on contraception.She continued to say that abortion and choice are only half the battle, and that ab-only education is the other half.Abstinence only education is factually inaccurate, and she cited the recent Mathematica study which reviewed the inaccuracies contained in these federally funded programs.

Science

The candidates often pointed to the administration’s derision of science, including the recent hearing by the former Surgeon General, who testified that he was censored by the administration.Mrs. Edwards says that her husband will follow good medicine and good science, and appoint a Surgeon General who is committed to medicine, not idealogy.

The Supreme Court

Mrs. Edwards highlighted the role of the Supreme Court in choice, saying that the recent decision creates a serious threat to choice.She said that to have a pro-choice Supreme Court, we need a pro-choice President.

Mr. Obama, as a lawyer and former law professor, went into some analysis of the recent SCOTUS decision, saying that there exists a “fundamental right to choose” under our Constitution.He said that five men don’t know better than women their doctors. He summarized Justice Ginsberg’s dissent by characterizing it as “we’ve been there before and we’re not going back.”Mr. Obama also cited the Court’s recent decisions with respect to equal payand integration as further problems with the Supreme Court Justices.He reminded us that he voted against confirmation of Justice Alitoand Chief Justice Roberts[Mrs. Clinton voted no on both nominees as well].

Mrs. Clinton spoke not only of President Bush appointing two anti-choice Supreme Court Justices, but about lower federal courts, including Judge Pryorand Judge Owens, both of whomwere considered by the administration for the Supreme Court.She also spoke of the importance of precedent, and that Roe embodies our most fundamental rights.

Choices

Mrs. Edwards took the large view, saying that choices for women are not just about abortion or contraception, but include comprehensive sex ed, health care, access to emergency contraception, child care, living wages and freedom from violence.

Mr. Obama really focused on a large view of equality, asking if our daughters will “have the same rights, dreams and freedoms to pursue happiness?”He said he will not yield on the fundamental issue of choice, and says that choice is not solely about abortion but “how we lead our lives.”He said that the struggle for equality is a struggle for opportunity, and included economic security, paid maternity leave, affordable quality child care and family sick leave as necessary conditions for women to succeed.

Here’s what I love.He said, “Our daughters have no limits but the shape of their dreams.”He also said that we should not be “settling for what America is, but working for what America might be.”Children should dream without limit and achieve without constraint.The man is a great speaker.